WHARTON MBA 2019 ESSAY

Wharton MBA Program Essays 2019

The Wharton MBA program is one of the most prestigious and selective MBA programs in the world. Each year, Wharton receives thousands of applications from highly accomplished professionals looking to take their careers to the next level. With acceptance rates hovering around 15-20%, admission to Wharton’s MBA program is extremely competitive.

A critical component of every Wharton application is the essay responses. Through the essays, admissions officers are looking to gain insights into who you are as a person beyond just your academic and professional achievements. They want to understand your motivations, challenges you’ve overcome, leadership experiences, and how you will contribute to the Wharton community.

This article will provide an in-depth overview of Wharton’s 2019 essay questions, including analysis and tips for crafting compelling, unique responses that will help your application stand out from the thousands of others.

Essay 1: Describe your career progression and goals and how an MBA from Wharton will help you achieve them. (250 words)

This opening essay is your chance to tell your personal career story and clearly articulate why Wharton and an MBA is the right next step. Admissions officers want to see intentional progression in your professional path leading up to your MBA application. Some tips:

Start with 1-2 sentences on your current/most recent role and 2-3 highlights of your responsibilities and accomplishments.

Explain how previous roles built upon each other and your career evolved intentionally over time by gaining new skills/experiences. Make these progression steps clear.

Avoid vague, lofty goals like “gain more leadership opportunities.” Provide concrete examples of the types of post-MBA roles, industries, or companies you’re targeting and why.

Explicitly state how Wharton’s resources, program, community, and alumni network will help you achieve your goals in a way no other school can. Provide specifics.

End with a strong call to action reiterating your fit and passion for Wharton above all other programs.

Essay 2: Explain two or three accomplishments, in or outside of your work experience, that demonstrate your leadership abilities. Discuss specific contributions you made and lessons learned. (250 words)

This essay gives you a platform to showcase pivotal leadership experiences, whether professional, extracurricular, or within your community. Admissions is looking for instances where you took initiative, inspired and mobilized others, overcame obstacles, and drove tangible outcomes. Some best practices:

Choose substantive accomplishments that fully leverage the 250 word count to vividly paint the picture and context.

Quantify results whenever possible, such as number of people managed or projects completed. Hard data makes your impact more memorable.

Focus on your specific contributions and leadership role rather than generally describing a program or event. Help admissions discern you from the group.

Share what you learned about yourself as a leader through challenges, mistakes, or pivotal “aha” moments. Lessons stick with readers more than a laundry list of achievements.

Provide sufficient context for admissions to understand your accomplishments without outside knowledge of the organizations involved.

Essay 3: The timeliness and social impact of diversity initiatives have come more prominently into focus in recent years. How do you think your identity and lived experiences with diversity, inclusion and equity will contribute most to your experience and the experience of others in the Wharton community? (250 words)

This essay allows you to thoughtfully share how who you are and your diverse experiences and perspectives would enrich Wharton’s culture of inclusion. Some aspects to address:

Reflect on an identity or experience you have with diversity, whether related to aspects like race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, socioeconomic background, culture, religion, or other personal attributes.

Discuss how this identity shapes your worldview or influences how you approach problem-solving, build relationships, or view opportunities/challenges differently than others.

Explain specifically how you believe you could use your lived experiences and diverse perspectives to positively contribute, whether through planned or existing initiatives at Wharton.

Emphasize collaborative strengths like bringing together varied backgrounds, fostering understanding across differences, or enabling fuller representation of underserved communities.

Close by reinforcing your passion and skills for cultivating an inclusive environment where all voices and talents within the Wharton community are respected and heard.

Essay 4: Wharton is focused on developing principled, compassionate leaders. Discuss an example of how you demonstrated strength of character that had a positive impact. (250 words)

This essay grants deeper insight into your principles and values beyond achievements or drive alone. Admissions looks for integrity, ethical decision-making, empathy, and morality. Consider:

Choosing an example from your personal or professional life where demonstrating strength of character was pivotal, such as overcoming adversity, standing up for what’s right, or showing empathy and care for others.

Providing rich context for readers to fully grasp the situation and your role, including any challenges, stakeholders impacted, and alternatives considered.

Emphasizing the process of how you approached the situation with compassion and principle-centered leadership rather than just the end result. What mindsets and soft skills did you employ?

Quantifying positive outcomes of your actions wherever applicable, such as building trust within a team or resolving a sensitive issue diplomatically.

Reflecting on lessons learned about leadership, ethics, and maintaining strength of character even in difficult circumstances. This helps reinforce qualities that will translate to success at Wharton.

Wrapping Up

With practice, targeted feedback from others, and authentic reflection on meaningful life experiences, applicants can craft compelling Wharton essays demonstrating their leadership abilities, purpose, commitment to diversity and ethics, and strong fit for Wharton’s culture. Approaching each prompt thoughtfully as an opportunity to share their unique value proposition will help applications rise to the top of Wharton’s selective review process.